


Grian and Mumbo Jumbo One-Shots

by AstridEquinox



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Grian - Freeform, Grumbo, M/M, Mumbo Jumbo - Freeform, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:55:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23438818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstridEquinox/pseuds/AstridEquinox
Summary: This is a collection of One-Shots for the Minecraft characters Grian and Mumbo Jumbo. Bear in mind that I do not ship the people in real-life, and the stories are just for fun (Grian is engaged and Mumbo has a girlfriend). If you do not like this specific ship or Fandom, please leave, as I would hate to have you waste your day on something that you don't even like. If you would like to leave requests, I will take those as well, so feel free to give me feedback in the comments as well as inspiration for other chapters.
Relationships: Grian/Mumbo Jumbo, Grian/MumboJumbo, Mumbo Jumbo/Grian, MumboJumbo/Grian
Comments: 26
Kudos: 236





	1. Isolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mumbo Jumbo has always been a very quiet and distant person. Everyone else is used to it, but his boyfriend Grian has gotten tired of it.

Grian was getting impatient. Very impatient.

He absolutely loved being able to date his best friend, Mumbo Jumbo, but the man always seemed super distant, almost like he didn't want to be there. The problem wasn't just recent, too. The two of them had been dating for almost two months, and Grian still had yet to see even a trace of a smile on the man's face. He would try and surprise Mumbo with the littlest of things, such as breakfast in bed or a few surprise hugs from behind. However, the man would barely pay him any mind, mumbling a quick "thank you" at best for Grian's efforts. The whole thing was making the blonde go mad, and he had half a mind to confront the posh businessman about it. He finally decided that if he were to try and make Mumbo's day again, and the man still had little to no reaction, he would bring it up.

Later that day, after Mumbo arrived at their cottage after work, Grian walked up to him with a bright smile on his face. "Hey Babe, how was work?"

"Fine," the mustache man grumbled, sliding off his coat and setting it on the hook that was next to the door. He then made his way towards the kitchen, barely giving Grian a second glance.

Grian frowned and followed Mumbo to the kitchen to find the man filling up a glass with some water. After he was done, he took a swig, and held the glass in his hand. He drank very slowly, taking small sips and causing Grian to get increasingly agitated with every gulp. Finally, the man finished his water, and turned to see the architect giving him the death stare, his blue eyes narrowed and piercing into Mumbo's soul. "Grian...?" Mumbo asked cautiously. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything is just peachy," Grian turned and walked towards the living room. Mumbo shrugged and put his glass in the sink, then followed his boyfriend to the couch.

Grian stood there as Mumbo sat down on the couch, closing his eyes and trying to relax. The man looked so alluring to Grian, sitting there on the couch and just _being_ , content in the home that they built and shared. It almost distracted Grian to a point where he was about to forgive Mumbo for all his dissociating and shower him with love and affection right there. Almost.

Grian sat down next to Mumbo and put his hand on top of the man's. He was hoping for Mumbo to react in any way, perhaps linking their fingers or opening his eyes and staring at him with passion or even a sharp intake of breath at the movement. However, the man did absolutely nothing in response to the blonde's attempts. He didn't link their fingers, he didn't open his eyes, he didn't even show any sort of change in his breathing pattern. It was the same as before. Grian chewed his bottom lip and determined that he would try one more thing, and if there was no response, he was going to bring it to Mumbo's attention.

The blonde sighed and rested his head on the businessman's shoulder, closing his eyes and letting the hand that was once on top of Mumbo's slide lower such that it was resting on his inner thigh.

Still nothing.

Nothing?! Not after all that!? Not after everything he had done to try and get Mumbo's attention!? It just didn't make any sense! Grian felt angry tears well up in his eyes as he sat up abruptly, pushing Mumbo's shoulder a bit harshly and finally causing the man to open his eyes.

"Grian? What was that for?" Mumbo stared at him, not even appearing to be angry or hurt.

"It's not fair!" Grian felt the tears starting to slide down his cheeks, staining his skin with slightly darker trails to mark the path of the drops. "I've been trying to get your attention for months, and you show me no love or affection in return!"

"What?" Mumbo seemed surprised at this. "Grian, what are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know!" Grian was now standing, hands on his hips and glowering down at his boyfriend. "All the little things I do for you go unappreciated! I make you breakfast in bed, I try to give you lots of hugs, I lavish you with a multitude of compliments, and I get nothing in return!"

"Grian, you know that's not true," Mumbo frowned, continuing to fuel the blonde's temper. "I thank you for every little thing that you do. I eat your meals, I accept your hugs, and I appreciate the compliments that you give me. Is that not enough?"

"No, it isn't because I get _nothing_ in return! I get nothing that shows me you're grateful for anything I do!" The tears were coming down at a faster pace now that Grian was practically sobbing. "Take just now, for instance! You barely acknowledge me when I try to talk to you, you don't want to hold my hand, and you can't even put your arm around me when I try and lean on your shoulder!" Grian was fuming, and Mumbo said nothing. He didn't even look away to show that he was feeling guilty or uncomfortable, he just kept staring at Grian as he broke down. The whole ordeal caused Grian's anger to turn into self-doubt. "I mean, do you even want to be with me?" The blonde sunk back down onto the couch and wiped at his tears. "Is there something I'm doing wrong? Am I just not right for you?" 

There was nothing. Nothing happened. It was just a dejected man crying waterfalls into his palms, and an apathetic executive staring him down. 

Until something happened. 

The businessman grabbed both of the architect's hands and held them tightly. He then spoke in a low, commanding tone. "Grian, look at me."

That tone of voice was one that the blonde had never heard before, so he felt himself compelled to look up, and that's exactly what he did. What he saw was a sight that he never had before, a clear look into Mumbo's eyes, into all his emotions. The man was holding something back, locking away all his emotions, but now, just by analyzing Mumbo's piercing green eyes, he saw a trace. He saw a small amount of the devotion and adoration that Mumbo had for him, and he was sure that there was more behind those shining orbs. Mumbo then began to speak again.

"I never want you to feel bad because of me. That was never and never will be my intention. I want to bring you up and show you how amazing of a person you are, I want to be able to hold your hand in public and call you little nicknames, I want to be there for you when you need a shoulder to cry on..." the man trailed off, his refined image slowly breaking into pieces in front of the builder that he had chosen to share his life with. Needless to say, the builder was touched.

"Then... why don't you show me?" Grian asked quietly. "Why can't you do any of those things that you want to do? If you really do love me and care about me that much, why don't you make it obvious?"

"Grian," Mumbo sighed, removing one of his hands from the blonde's and running it nervously through his hair. "I've never _done_ love before. I've never _been_ in a relationship, I've never _wanted_ to be in a relationship, I've always just kind of been a lone wolf," he closed his eyes and prepared to speak once again, "And I was fine with it. I am fine with it. I'm just so used to doing things independently and all by myself that I tend to become a more isolated person, and when I'm around other people, I don't know how to interact."

The blonde said nothing. He just listened to the raven-haired man explain why he was reserved, why he didn't appear interested in any of the builder's efforts, why Mumbo hadn't appeared to love him as much as Grian did. Everything was starting to make sense, even though Grian did not understand Mumbo's problems head-on. He never had to deal with being alone and liking it, he never had trouble interacting with others, in fact, it was the exact opposite! How ironic that the most reserved and serious person fell in love with the most outgoing and mischievous one. How ironic that they had made it this far, despite all their differences, and were now able to discuss their problems now. How ironic that Mumbo Jumbo, who was the least likely person to open up to anyone, was withering in front of a very quiet Grian, silently observing as the man's walls crumbled until they were finally dust.

"Well," Grian put a hand on Mumbo's shoulder, bringing the man back to the present as he glanced up to look his boyfriend in the eyes. "Why don't we work on that? Just you and me."

The raven-haired man blinked, speechless again, before putting his hand over the blonde's and lacing their fingers with a smile. "Yeah, I'd like that."


	2. Pranks and Tricks (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grian, the school prankster, is always trying to cause Mumbo trouble and cause a good laugh from his friends. However, when Grian's shenanigans cause Mumbo to miss a very important test that had no make-ups, the young boy has to bargain with him in order to be able to complete the test.

Mumbo tried to walk through the halls as quickly as he could, trying to avoid a certain someone whom he knew would be around the corner. 

A certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed, pale-skinned boy that absolutely loved to try something new on him every day. A junior who had somehow taken interest in the freshman, and had been pulling tricks on the boy for the longest time. Mumbo had always been taught to avoid that sort of thing, as the people normally stopped after a while if he did, but this boy was different. He didn't stop, he just kept going. They were now in the middle of the fourth quarter, the last quarter of the school year, and Mumbo Jumbo had other priorities to be focusing on rather than a troublesome junior, such as finals. Mumbo knew that the moment he turned to make his way into the next locker bay, Grian would be there with his friends, probably discussing new ways to make an utter fool of him. He gulped and decided that he would keep his eyes forward, his gaze downward, and try to ignore anything that the junior tried to say to him. 

He had to succeed otherwise he would be tardy for his math exam. He was always tardy for his math class, and he now had a reputation as one of the smartest but somehow worst students in the class when it came to attendance, but that wasn't his fault! It was Grian's, but nobody believed that a junior would be trying to get the attention of a freshman. 

Today, he had to get to class in time. He couldn't afford to be late for his exam - he was good at math, but being ten to fifteen minutes late would result in him losing limited time for a grade that was ten percent of his average. He couldn't let Grian distract him, no matter what.

Mumbo Jumbo took a deep breath and finally turned the corner, his footsteps resonating in the mostly empty hallway. He glanced up to his left using his peripheral vision, and he saw the group of clowns. Iskall, Scar, and of course their blonde-haired leader. Mumbo frowned and immediately cast his eyes downward again, using his hands to play nervously with his tie. He was almost to the end of the hall and out of their sight when he felt a hand grab the back of his shirt, lifting him up effortlessly. Mumbo cursed under his breath and kept his eyes down, trying to avoid looking up.

"Headed off to math again, right, kid?" Scar was the one who had hoisted him up, pulling the smaller boy up to eye level. Mumbo, of course, said nothing and kept his eyes trained downwards at Scar's shoes.

"He ain't saying anything, eh?" Iskall walked up next to Scar. "That's odd. He normally at least tells us to leave him alone."

Mumbo was getting increasingly agitated. He was right here, and still Iskall found the nerve to ignore him. He felt the panic that he was feeling fuel his anger, he couldn't be late for his exam! Perhaps he would have to talk after all.

"Look, I know I say I can't deal with you guys any day, but today is really important! You have to let me go!"

"Ah. There it is," Iskall mumbled as Grian made his way up to Mumbo.

"And why should we?" Grian chuckled, looking down at the boy in Scar's grip. 

"Please! I have a final exam today, and I can't be late!" Mumbo begged, his green eyes staring up into Grian's blue ones. Mumbo had always secretly thought the junior was super attractive, but that didn't change the fact that he was a pompous, self-absorbed jerk.

"A final exam?" Grian snorted and waved it off. "In math? What grade average do you have in the class right now?"

"Um," Mumbo never felt comfortable sharing his grades with anyone. No matter how well his teachers and parents claimed that he did, he was never proud of himself. Mumbo Jumbo was an immense perfectionist, and if he got less than a one-hundred percent on any assignment, he felt terrible about it. "What's it to you?"

"Well," Grian looked between the two other boys holding Mumbo in place. "If you tell me, and you have a bad enough grade, I'm sure we could let you go to have a chance to raise it."

"Really? My grade is pretty dreadful..." Mumbo murmured, knowing that the grade that he currently held in math was far from perfect. By his logic, if he told the upperclassmen the truth about what grade he had, they would be sure to let him go. He felt a wave of relief, and decided to trust them. "Alright... my current average percentage in math is a ninety-seven."

Scar's jaw dropped and he stared at Iskall with wide eyes. Iskall mirrored the look, then they both turned to Grian. Grian was just grinning. He had a mischievous smile plastered on his face that made Mumbo feel a bit uneasy. He swallowed some extra bile and looked down, wondering if he had said the wrong thing. The answer was yes, yes he had. 

"You'll be fine then!" Grian exclaimed, much to Mumbo's horror, and gestured for Iskall and Scar to drag Mumbo off somewhere. At that moment, the bell rung, signifying the beginning of class, and Mumbo became even more distressed.

"No!" Mumbo exclaimed loudly, kicking and squirming, doing everything he could to get out of Scar's grip as he followed Grian and Iskall. Much to his dismay, the senior was much stronger than he was, and would not let go of him. He decided to stop writhing around and see where the upperclassmen were taking him. After what felt like forever, he found himself in a darker hallway of the school, one dusted with cobwebs and shattered glass. He had no idea that this portion of the school existed (probably because he had no interest in exploring the parts of the school that he didn't have to go through in order to get to class), but he didn't like it. 

Before now, he thought that Grian and his lackeys were just a bunch of kids who didn't know how to pull a good joke, but now he was thinking that they might be something else... more juvenile, in a sense. Delinquents. That was the word.

Finally, Scar let go of Mumbo, but not before keeping him close to the wall to make sure that there was no easy escape. "So," he raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the boy. "Why do you care about your grades so much, anyways. You're already in a really good position, for your math class, at least."

"I'm not!" Mumbo snapped, looking between the three of them. Grian, Iskall, and Scar were all spread out such that whatever general direction Mumbo tried to go in would be blocked, and they were all a lot taller, stronger, and faster than he was. Mumbo realized that he was not going to have any hope of writing the exam at all, and glared up at them. "Why can't you just let me go!? I really need to complete this exam, it's ten percent of my final grade!"

"The school has the stupid rule that allows a student to get no lower than a fifty percent on any assessment, dude," Iskall shook his head. "You'll be fine. One fifty is not gonna bring you to a failing grade, especially when you have a ninety-seven."

"But I'm already failing!" Mumbo protested. The boys gave each other a look, then burst out laughing. Mumbo felt his cheeks heat up as he watched the upperclassmen laugh over his deficiency. How dare they laugh at him when he was just trying to do the best he could! How dare they laugh at him when he was trying to get a perfectly average grade! How dare they laugh at him when they were the reason he was missing his exam in the first place!

"What's your name again, kid?" Grian was the first to calm down, wiping at his eyes. "Bumbo, right?"

"Mumbo..." the freshman mumbled quietly. "I need to go. I'm already ten minutes late! Please, you have to let me take this exam!"

Once all of the boys had gotten over Mumbo believing that he was failing at math, they finally noticed the state of the boy. The raven-haired freshman's cheeks were red, his eyes narrowed and his hands in tight fists. He looked sort of menacing, but then they saw it. 

His bottom lip was quivering.

He was scared of them, and he looked like he was holding back tears. If the boy were to stop glaring at the upperclassmen for even a split second and let himself blink, tears would probably be spilt. The other boys didn't know what to do, but Grian for one did not like seeing Mumbo like this. He wanted to annoy the boy a bit, pull a few tricks every now and again, loosen him up a bit, but he did not want to be the cause of Mumbo's tears.

Grian took one long look at him, then sighed. "Fine. You can go take your exam."

"Really!?" Mumbo asked hopefully. The boys had never let him go until they had pulled a prank on him or were satisfied with their work. Seeing the junior give in to him was a first.

"Yeah, really?" Iskall and Scar turned to Grian, Iskall being the one to ask him about this. "Are you sure?"

Grian nodded at him. "I'm sure."

Mumbo was grinning happily and began to sprint down the hall, but stopped when he felt a hand grab his wrist tightly. He groaned and looked back, wondering what the boys could want with him now.

Grian was holding Mumbo in place, staring down at the smaller boy. "You owe me one, got that, Mumbo? When you're done with your exam, meet me back here."

Mumbo was willing to agree to anything as long as he got to take his exam. He gave the blonde a quick nod before yanking his hand away and turning on his heel. He then realized one problem with the plan, and briefly glanced back at Grian. "I won't remember how to get here," he said very quickly, wanting to leave as soon as possible. Grian sighed and shook his head. 

"Then I'll pick you up at your class. Room 274, right?"

Mumbo nodded again and then ran off again, shouting a quick "thank you" as he rushed to get to his math class. Iskall, Scar, and Grian stared after him, watching the boy go. Grian smiled knowingly and closed his eyes, paying no thought to what he was about to say, as his friends already knew how he felt about the boy. "He's so cute."


	3. Pranks and Tricks (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Mumbo wrote his test, he exited the classroom to find Grian waiting for him, as expected. What he didn't expect was for the boy to take him out on a date and show interest in getting to know him better.

Mumbo walked out of the classroom with a sigh, knowing that he was in a much better position regarding his grade than he was in about an hour ago. The teacher had scolded him for being late, but he didn't care, as he got to write the test that he would have missed due to the upperclassmen being annoying.

The upperclassmen.

That's right.

He had made a deal to meet up with Grian after the exam.

Mumbo groaned and tried to hide his face as he made his way into the halls, but it was to no avail. He felt a hand grab the front of his shirt and pull him into the closest closet, the person's free hand over Mumbo's mouth. Mumbo freaked out and bit down on the person's fingers, earning a high-pitched yelp as the individual let him go. Mumbo brushed himself off and glared at the person, only to see Grian clutching his hand. Even though he was in pain, he managed to flash a sly smirk in Mumbo's direction.

"Jeez, if I had known you were into biting, I would have tried that sooner!"

Mumbo cringed, wrinkling his nose and looking down. "It's just self-defense, which I wouldn't have to use if I wasn't just recently kidnapped!"

Grian shrugged and shoved his hands in the pocket of his red hoodie. "Why do you dress so fancy every day?" He gestured to Mumbo's red tie and his white button-up. "It's not like you have anyone to impress."

"I like it," Mumbo took a deep breath, trying to quell his anger from the near-death experience he just had with the boy. "It makes me feel important."

"Whatever," the blonde leant against the wall. "Let's wait until the hall is clear. Then we're ditching."

"D-ditching!?" Mumbo gasped, appalled. He was right, Grian was a delinquent!

"Yeah...?" Grian seemed to be confused that Mumbo was so worried. "What's the matter? It's not like the teachers can do anything."

"N-no!" Mumbo backed away, fumbling in the dark for something that resembled a door handle. "I'm putting my foot down, I won't skip the rest of the day at school!"

"You owe me one, kid," Grian approached him, the taller boy looming over the smaller one. "I let you take your boring final, shouldn't you deserve a break?"

"I shouldn't need to have permission to be able to take a test in the first place!" The freshman folded his arms angrily, glaring up at the junior. "And I don't deserve any breaks. Not until I have perfect grades."

Then the bell rung, signaling the beginning of the next class.

Grian shook his head and grabbed Mumbo's hand, cautiously taking a peek out of the closet door. No other students seemed to be around, so he dragged the freshman out of the small room, leading him towards one of the open windows. The doors to the outside were locked both ways when classes started so that students would be discouraged from skipping, but that didn't stop Grian. The window was a bit high up for Mumbo, so he crouched down and held his hands out, cupped together for the boy to step on. "Climb out of the window, I'll give you a boost. Stay quiet and don't tell anyone about this."

Mumbo gulped and looked around, hoping there would be a teacher or school officer to stop them, but there was no-one. The raven-haired boy sighed and cautiously put his right foot on Grian's hands, using it to give himself a boost as he grabbed the edge of the window. Grian pulled his hands away and watched the boy fumble to slide his torso through the opening, chuckling as he found it amusing. Mumbo ended up failing, and was about to fall, but Grian put both of his hands on the boy's hips and held him in place while he got himself through. Mumbo blushed furiously at the movement and jumped out of the window, landing on his feet. He then looked up and waited for the blonde, who joined him shortly.

"So, where do you want to go?" Grian asked Mumbo. Mumbo frowned and looked away.

"I think you know exactly where I want to go. To class."

"Aww, but class ain't fun!" Grian laughed, throwing his head back and letting his lips part to release the melodious sound. Mumbo watched him, his eyes wide and his center of attention completely forgotten as he listened to the junior. He then shook his head briefly as he regained his focus, blinking a few times. Grian eventually stopped laughing, and stared at the boy. "I know a place where we can go. Follow me."

"Do I have to?" Mumbo groaned, though he already knew the answer. The look Grian gave him only confirmed it as the boy began to run towards the exit of the school. Mumbo followed, quickly becoming out of breath as he ran, but Grian didn't seem to notice. Once the boys had exited the school property safely and had made their way down the sidewalk a little bit, the junior looked back, seeing that Mumbo was slowing down and he seemed to be very tired.

"Hurry up, slowpoke!" Grian snickered, slowing to a stop so that the raven-haired boy could catch up. "You're not very fit, are you? What are kids doing in gym these days?"

"Nothing," Mumbo panted, his hands on his knees. "We just procrastinate enough so that the teachers can't make us do anything active."

"Hm," Grian looked up at the sky, letting the glow of the sun warm his face. "Reminds me of someone that I know."

"Who?" Mumbo asked curiously.

"Me, you dork!" Grian moved his gaze back down at Mumbo, chuckling as he did so. Mumbo blushed lightly from his stupidity, and looked down. 

There was silence, and neither of the boys knew what to say. Mumbo just followed Grian as they walked, wondering where they were going? After a while, the freshman became brave enough to speak. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost," Grian smirked as they approached a wire fence. They stopped just in front of it, the troublemaker staring at the goody-two-shoes. "We're gonna trespass, but it'll be worth it."

"Trespassing!? But that's illegal!" Mumbo exclaimed, not wanting to do anything else mischievous.

"If nobody finds out, it isn't!" Grian simpered, holding his arms out towards Mumbo. The anxious freshman didn't know what to do. He really wanted to be alone, preferably alone studying or in one of his classes. However, he wasn't alone, he was hanging out with a very attractive but annoying hoodlum! Mumbo then realized Grian was looking very impatient, his arms still outstretched. Mumbo remembered how the junior touched his hips earlier, and blushed madly. He looked away to try and hide it, but he knew Grian had already seen. Nonetheless, the boy said nothing about it, which Mumbo was grateful for.

"Wh-why are your arms out like that...?" Mumbo asked quietly, rubbing his forearm apprehensively.

"So I can give you a boost, silly! If you couldn't even get yourself up to that school window without any trouble, you definitely won't be able to scale this fence," Grian rolled his eyes. "So get over here."

The blonde did have a point, Mumbo had no idea how to climb a fence, and he _did_ have trouble getting to the window in the school, even though it wasn't that high up. Mumbo groaned and reluctantly walked up to the junior, letting the blue-eyed boy wrap his arms around the lower part of his torso and pick him up no problem. Mumbo inhaled sharply as the sudden movement caused him to be slightly taller than he was normally, watching the ground suddenly become about a foot farther than normal. Grian grit his teeth as he held Mumbo up to the top of the fence as high as he could, and Mumbo responded by gripping onto the top of the fence with both hands. He became brave enough to use the toe of his left shoe to hook onto one of the wires, and placed his right foot on top of the fence. He then took a big step, and hoisted himself up.

He did it.

He was quite proud of himself, even if he hadn't done all the work. He had scaled a fence when he had never done so before, and he didn't fall or injure himself! Mumbo beamed and put his hands on his hips, standing up slightly more straight, before remembering that he was balancing on a very thin pole. He felt his body give out on him, and he collapsed, tumbling over to the other side of the fence. Luckily, the raven-haired boy did not hurt himself, landing on his hands and knees. He certainly had a few scratches, and the cuffs of his jeans were covered in dirt, but he was safe. Mumbo grumbled and looked up to see the place that he had gone through all the trouble of getting to, and when he did, his jaw dropped.

Grian had taken him to a very colorful and extensive flower field, complete with a few cherry blossom trees to top it all off. Needless to say, while the location of the field was very concealed, it was very-

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Mumbo heard a voice behind him and then felt a hand on his shoulder. The boy jolted in shock, but when he realized it was Grian, he allowed himself to go slack.

"Yeah, it is..." Mumbo breathed, looking around at the diverse field. "How do you know about this place?"

Grian walked up next to Mumbo, and the freshman looked up so that he could see the boy's face. The blonde was sporting a wistful smile, looking up to the sky once again. "It's a long story."

"I can listen," Mumbo walked further into the field and sat down, waiting for Grian to join him. Grian sighed and walked into the field as well, sitting across from the raven-haired boy.

"Well," he began. "Once upon a time, there was a woman. She was very beautiful, with jet-black hair and dazzling green eyes. There was only one problem, she never smiled. A blonde-haired boy knew her, and wanted to make her happy. He tried everything from little gifts to giving her lots of compliments to even downgrading himself so that she could be content instead. Nothing worked. The boy got increasingly agitated by the fact that she would not even laugh, so he confronted her about it. He asked her what was wrong and why she was such a miserable person, why she couldn't bring herself to grin, and why she always acted as if nothing was going right for her when she was in fact one of the most beautiful and incredible people that he knew. The boy did not expect the answer that she would give him on that day," Mumbo watched as tears sprung to the blonde's eyes, threatening to fall if he blinked. 

"What did she say?" Mumbo queried, his voice hoarse just based on the sorrow that he could feel resonating from the junior. 

"She told me that she had a sickness, but she never told me what it was. All she said was that she would be undergoing some changes very soon, and they would come as unnatural to me. She said that she was trying to distance herself from anyone around her as much as she could so that she didn't bring them down with her, and that she would feel terrible if someone else's misery was because of her. Needless to say, I was concerned for her, as she hadn't given me any details as to what would come next. She just reassured me that everything would be fine, and she would get through her problems one way or another. As time passed, she began to cough up blood. Her beautiful hair began to fall out until her scalp had bald patches, she began to pale but she paled to the point where her skin looked almost transparent, she didn't feel as hungry as she should so she became more malnourished, and eventually, she joined the angels."

By now, Grian's tears were starting to fall, and Mumbo didn't know what to do. To offer his support, he put his hand over the junior's, blushing as he did so. Grian eventually regained his composure and found the strength to continue.

"But before she passed, she came knocking on my door. She asked if she could spend the day with me and then stay the night, to which my family and I allowed. I went out with her and she took me here, describing this field as her special spot. She didn't come here for the flowers, but for the cherry blossom trees. They were her favorite. She loved them and described them as gifts from Heaven, the most beautiful things on Earth. I remember how she held my hand that day and told me that she loved me, and no matter what, she would always be with me. I didn't know what that meant until now. We then headed back to my house, had dinner, and then we went to bed. In the morning, I woke up abruptly to hear her shouting my name, and she came out with a perfectly smooth head. She was holding a bottle of Nair, which my sister used on her legs to get rid of any excess hair. I immediately panicked and thought that she would be furious with me for accidentally leaving the bottle out instead of replenishing the shampoo, but she was smiling. She was smiling and she was laughing and she looked absolutely mind-blowing. She told me that I should pull more of those surprise tricks for her more often, and I took her up on that advice. Only one week after she used the Nair on her scalp, she passed away. She passed away with a smile on her face as I had pulled plenty more pranks for her the week leading up to her death. From that day forward, I vowed to make anyone who looked upset or sad smile, and show them that they deserved to be happy." 

Grian wiped at his tears, then linked his fingers with Mumbo's and looked down at him. "When I saw you, you immediately reminded me of her. It was like looking into a mirror, seeing someone so good-looking and yet so crestfallen. I guess I felt a need to make you smile too, Mumbo, just as I made her smile. What I didn't know and still don't to an extent is that pranks don't make everyone happy. I guess you were one of those people, and I suppose you still are. I just want you to be happy, Mumbo Jumbo, because I hate seeing anyone sad, especially you."

Mumbo was touched. He didn't expect for there to be such a deeper story behind Grian's motives, and the reason why he was always pulling pranks on him. He was at a loss for words, his mouth open and wanting to say something, yet nothing came out. He finally was able to make some words comprehensible as he spoke.

"I... thank you..." Mumbo whispered, suddenly having the courage to take one of his hands and reach up to Grian's cheek, wiping away a few stray tears that were living there. Grian was startled at the sudden movement, and looked down at the boy. "I never knew that you dealt through that whole situation. I'm sorry that happened to you... thank you for telling me about it."

Grian nodded slowly, leaning into Mumbo's hand. He then stifled a laugh and closed his eyes. "I can't believe I'm being comforted by a freshman."

Mumbo chuckled as well, gently moving his thumb across the boy's cheek. He didn't know what exactly he was doing, but it felt right. 

"Hey, Grian?" Mumbo asked, watching as those beautiful blue eyes opened once more and stared into his.

"Yeah?" Grian asked cautiously, blinking a few times, his long lashes tickling the tips of Mumbo's fingers.

"I wasn't happy before, but now I am. I'm happy being here, I'm happy being here with-" Mumbo stopped himself, realizing what he was about to say. He took his hand off of Grian's cheek and covered his mouth, eyes wide and a mad blush dusting his cheeks. Grian stared back at him, equally as surprised.

Neither boy needed to speak to know what Mumbo meant.

Eventually, Grian smiled, grabbing Mumbo's wrist and pulling his hand away from his mouth. "Mumbo, do you trust me?"

"I..." Mumbo hesitated, looking around the field discreetly, then back into the blonde's beautiful eyes. He saw the sincerity and adoration in them, and hoped that he wouldn't regret his decision. "I do."

Grian smiled and let his eyes flutter closed, his head tilted slightly to the left as he put a finger under the raven-haired boy's chin. Mumbo watched, eyes-wide, everything in slow motion for him. Grian was going to kiss him!? He had never kissed anyone before! Did Grian even _want_ to kiss him, or was it just another prank? Mumbo continued to panic until he felt something soft against his lips. 

Something soft that somehow took all his worries away and left him thinking about nothing but the boy in front of him. Mumbo stared at the blonde-haired boy, his eyes closed and his dimples showing as he kissed the freshman with a small smile on his lips. Mumbo sighed and closed his eyes as well, tangling the hand that Grian wasn't holding in the back of his hair, pulling him in closer. 

After what felt like forever, both boys pulled away and pressed their foreheads together, staring into each other's eyes. 

"I love you. I love you just as much as I loved her," Grian admitted, a sly grin teasing at his lips. "I have since the first time I saw you."

If Mumbo's cheeks could have gotten redder, they sure would have, but he wasn't sure if that was even possible at that point. "I don't know if I'm in love just yet, but I'm willing to try if you are," he said softly.

"That's all I'm asking," Grian cupped Mumbo's face with both his hands. "But please, whatever you do, don't leave me. I don't want to be left alone like she left me," the waterworks came again, a few more tears trickling down Grian's cheeks.

Mumbo held the boy tightly as he cried, running his hands through that dirty blonde hair of his. He then bent his head so that his lips were by Grian's ear, brushing it ever so slightly. He took a sharp breath, then replied with a promise.

"I won't, you troublemaker!"


	4. Chores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mumbo and Grian are doing chores around the house, but Grian does not want to do the work that Mumbo gives to him. As a result, he tries to pamper the raven haired man with all the love he can in order to get out of it, but Mumbo can see through what he is trying to do.

"C'mon Gri, let's get the laundry done," Mumbo gestured for Grian to follow him into the mudroom, where the dryer had just finished its cycle. Grian groaned and reluctantly followed the taller man, looking around the house erratically as he tried to find something that could distract his boyfriend. His gaze landed for a second on an unfinished redstone project, but he knew that Mumbo had some sort of self-restraint, and could postpone his wiring to get something else done. The blonde continued to look around the hallways, but he found nothing. He frowned and watched as they reached the laundry room, Mumbo closing the door behind them. 

"Babe, can we do something else first?" Grian pleaded, big blue eyes looking up at Mumbo's green ones. The raven haired man smiled softly, he would have originally fallen victim to Grian's soft gaze, but he had been dating the boy long enough to know what he was up to.

"We can after we get the laundry done, Sunshine," Mumbo ruffled the boy's golden locks and reached for the laundry basket that was at the corner of the room. Grian groaned and slid down against the door, resting the back of his head against it and closing his eyes.

"But laundry is so boring! I want to do something else with you!" 

Mumbo said nothing and opened the dryer, beginning to pile the bundles of dirty clothes into the hamper. Grian opened one eye and watched his boyfriend get to work, reaching quickly into the depths of the dryer and pulling out a bundle of slightly damp clothes, then throwing it into the basket and reaching back in to grab some more. Grian observed as Mumbo managed to take out all of the clothes all by himself and dump them into the laundry basket.

"I love you," Grian breathed softly, staring intently at his boyfriend. Mumbo shook his head and shoved the basket towards Grian, waiting for him to pick it up. 

"Nice try, Grian. Help me fold these clothes, would ya?"

Grian grumbled and took the basket, placing it down in front of the both of them, folding his arms. "Can we please do something else?"

"Would you rather not have anything to wear?" Mumbo reached into the basket and retrieved one of Grian's red hoodies, beginning to fold it into a small square.

"I know you wouldn't complain," Grian smirked, shooting a quick wink at Mumbo as his cheeks burned a fiery red.

"This is true, but you need to have clothes readily available to you, Gri," Mumbo finished folding Grian's hoodie and laid it on his thigh as he reached for another piece of clothing. "Come on now, get to work."

"I love you," Grian tried again, slowly reaching into the basket and recovering one of his pairs of boxers. The blonde played with the fabric in his hands, glancing up at his boyfriend to see his reaction.

"I love you too, now fold that and set it off to the side. We have a lot of clothes and a limited amount of time to take care of them all."

Grian huffed at Mumbo's reaction, then let his arm travel backwards. He was holding the pair of undies in the air, staring daggers into Mumbo and waiting for the raven haired man to notice. Mumbo, however, had finished folding a few more hoodies, one or two of his own dress shirts, and a pair of Grian's jeans. After a while, Mumbo looked back at Grian to see if he was doing work as well, but he instead saw a very upset blonde staring back at him. Mumbo chuckled, thinking that Grian looked cute when frustrated, and stopped folding clothes for a second to ridicule the boy.

"You can be upset at me all you want, but you still have to- hey!"

He was interrupted as Grian gave him a shit-eating grin, then released the pair of boxers like a catapult so that they landed smack-dab in Mumbo's face. Mumbo tutted and reached up, taking the briefs off his face and simply folding them so that one leg was over the other. Grian chuckled and folded his arms once more.

"I love you," he cooed, blinking a few times as he let his long lashes briefly touch his cheeks.

Mumbo scowled and gave his boyfriend a dirty look, his green eyes narrowed and piercing into Grian's soul. "Stop saying I love you to get out of chores."

"Why? I want to show you how much I love you!" Grian beamed, a goofy grin present on his lips. Mumbo took one look at him and sighed, trying to prevent having a smile of his own, but it was hopeless. Grian was just too damn adorable.

"You already do, Sunshine. Now help me out with the rest of this laundry."

"Nooooooo!" Grian whined, his lower lip jutting out in a bit of a pout. Mumbo chortled and put his hand over Grian's, deciding that he would compromise with the boy.

"Okay, here's the deal. If you help me out with the rest of this laundry without any more complaints, and I mean _really_ help me, I'll let you choose what we can do next afterwards."

Grian's eyes lit up and held Mumbo's hand back. "Really? Can we do anything that I want?"

"Yes. Anything," Mumbo promised with a wink, taking his hands away. "But you have to help me fold and put the rest of this away, starting..." Mumbo held out the word, watching as Grian's big blue eyes got even wider, shining with the acceptance of a challenge and the mischievousness that he knew and loved. 

"Now!"


	5. Assassination (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mumbo is a trained assassin, and was sent to kill Grian, the heir to a rich company, but gets injured in the process.

In the dark of the night, the world becomes a much more sinister and dangerous place. Your closest friends turn into strangers and their true motives become unmistakable, rather than trying to lift you up and help you have the best life possible, they would much rather make your world a living hell. 

Many businesses run in the night, dedicated to those people who need a little bit of extra cash, who take pride in making the lives of others hell, or just need to have a time to express the psychotic trace of themselves that they hide in the light. An example of someone who does their job at night would be the raven-haired man named Mumbo Jumbo, or "Handlebar", as his executives called him, a nickname based on his mustache. Tonight, he had a mission to kill the son of a long-running business, which was very successful and rich, yet the owners were very selfish and acted in inhumane ways.

Murder was nothing new to Mumbo, he just had to wear clothes to blend in with the crowds, act as a scared citizen would normally act in the depths of the night, and do his job as quickly as he could. His goal was to avoid being noticed, avoid any sort of fight or argument that he could get himself into. He did not want to bring attention to himself or the task that he was daring to complete; if he successfully accomplished the task at hand, he would be awarded with a few grand for his efforts. Apparently many people had been sent out to slaughter the heir before, but none were successful. Mumbo wondered why that was, but he wasn't nervous. He was one of the best perpetrators in the company he was a part of, and he had never hesitated with a homicide before, so he thought that there was nothing to worry about.

Seeing as the evening was chillier than the morning, Mumbo made sure to grab a heavier jacket (even though he personally didn't need one, and would probably be sweating a considerable amount) before heading out. He slipped it on and made sure that he had the poison securely tucked into his underwear with a backup dagger tucked into the inside of his boot. The plan was to feed the boy the Tetradotoxin (the company had gotten a hold of one of the puffer fish and managed to crush some of the deadly parts down into a liquid substance) in his sleep, and wait for the results to display when his parents woke up. Mumbo already knew where the family lived (everyone did, they happened to live in a really extravagant apartment complex that they paid someone to build custom to their wishes), and he had a foolproof plan to get into the building. 

The man walked with his hands in his pockets through the streets, a light drizzle coming down on those who were brave enough to traverse that night. Mumbo kept his wits about him, listening for any slight sound that could be within a few yards of him, and staring straight ahead towards the location he was meant to be in. Eventually, he reached the building, stopping in front of the vast security system. Mumbo had already promised one of his fellow coworkers to give him two or three grand if he supplied him with an ID of someone important in the company, someone who could have free reign of the building whenever they needed, and Iskall had agreed. The Swede had managed to steal a real ID from a gentleman who happened to look very similar to Mumbo, which was very surprising to the both of them as they thought someone of such high standing would be more cautious of what they do with their personal information. Nonetheless, Mumbo had an ID which would work, he just needed to somehow play the part of this gentleman. Luckily, under the heavy jacket he was sporting, he was wearing a suit, which wasn't different to what he would wear normally. 

The man didn't hesitate at all as he walked up to the guards at the front of the building, the ID in his wallet. One of the guards walked towards him as well, a hand on the gun that they had hooked to their belt. The guard stopped about a foot away from Mumbo, running his spare hand through his chestnut brown hair. He then held that hand out in front of Mumbo, staring at him with an uneasy gaze. "State your name, your purpose, and show me your ID please."

Mumbo reached into his jacket, pulling out his wallet. As he opened it up, he spoke. "The name's Scar, and I'm here to check on the latest profit," Mumbo then handed the man his ID. The guard narrowed his eyes and looked at it, then back up at Mumbo. 

"You finally grew out that mustache, huh?" The guard chuckled, walking back with Mumbo to the security system. There was a tiny little machine there to check the ID, and the guard popped the card in to make sure it was indeed real. "And did you dye your hair? I mean, I guess it could look darker since there ain't as much light out, but something tells me that it's not just like that due to that."

"Yeah, I dyed my hair, thought black would be a nice change from the original color," Mumbo put one of his hands on his hips and shot the guard a warm smile, so as to make himself look less threatening than he already was (though he didn't appear to have much trouble in the first place). 

"It definitely suits you," the guard noted. Both the men heard a little 'pop' sound as the machine was done processing the card, and spat the thing out with the message that it was indeed real. "Well," the guard handed Mumbo back his ID, which the man slipped back into his wallet. "I would normally make you go through the metal detector, but I guess I'll let you off the hook this time. You know, since you're a valued member of the company and all. Just don't blow up anything."

Mumbo was surprised at the easy access the guard was giving him; perhaps Iskall deserved even more payment in the future as this man seemed to be a regular around here. 

"Thank you very much, good sir," Mumbo nodded briefly and made his way past the metal detector, towards the entrance of the building. 

"Wait!" The voice suddenly called, causing Mumbo to come to a stop with a groan. His hand instinctively lowered towards the dagger in his boot, but he shrugged it off and looked back. It was the guard who had called him, and he was grinning widely. "Maybe try growing out a beard sometime. I bet it would suit you!"

Mumbo nodded and shot the guard one more smile before turning around, rolling his eyes. He made his way to the door and found that it was surprisingly unlocked. Perhaps there was more to the surveillance than he originally knew of, because there was no way the family was this stupid. He had been in situations with hidden guards and other traps, so perhaps the unlocked door was just to lure unwanted visitors into a false sense of security. Mumbo, however, would not be fooled.

The man cautiously made his way into the building, only to be greeted by a jubilant-looking woman at the desk. He made his way up to her, and laid his elbows on the desk, shooting her a sly smirk. "What are you doing up at this hour, ma'am?" 

The woman giggled and rested her face in her hands. "Oh, Scar. Always such a charmer! What can I do for you today?"

"Well, this evening, I would like to be given access to the boy's room, please. I know that it might seem very sudden, but I just wanted to make sure that he is following all the tricks I taught him to keep his belongings safe and hidden in his own room."

The woman raised an eyebrow, but then shrugged it off. "Yeah, it is strange, but you are as well."

Mumbo rolled his eyes. "Thanks," he mumbled as the brown-haired woman looked in a few drawers. She had a crown of flowers on her head, a pink jumper on, and a rosy blush dusting her cheeks. Mumbo could tell that it was makeup rather than attraction, though. After what seemed like a few minutes, the woman retrieved a key from one of the drawers. She placed it on the table and slid it closer to Mumbo, leaning back in her chair. 

"Enjoy, Love! Try to keep quiet so you don't disrupt his slumber, though."

"I won't," Mumbo grinned, walking towards the elevator to the side of the room. He looked at the number on the key, Room 589, and determined that the boy's room was on the sixth floor of the apartment. He walked into the elevator and pressed the number six, watching as the doors closed. He felt the familiar vibrations around him as the gears turned, lifting the man until he reached his desired location. When he did, the doors opened, and he walked out, looking around. 

The hall had white walls decorated with a gold trim, the design being a sun with swirls in the middle and five rays all around. Each door was black, however, to contrast the lightness of the building, but still had that gold trim. Next to each number was a different symbol which depicted who or what was inside. For the guest rooms there were flowers, for specific workers there were specific designs, and next to the heir's was...

Well, he had to find the boy's room first.

Mumbo walked along the halls, noticing that they went around in a square shape, yet the square was cut in half with an extra fifth hallway split down the center. He walked around the perimeter of the square before deciding to check down that other hall, which happened to only have two doors, right across from each other. One had the names of the leaders of the company, and the other had the name of the boy.

Grian.

The emblem on the door next to Grian's name was some sort of bird, Mumbo noted that it looked very familiar to that of a parrot. Why the symbol next to the boy's name would be a bird, he didn't know, but that wasn't his problem right now. 

Mumbo slowly slid the key into the lock that was on Grian's door. He twisted it experimentally to the left and then to the right, waiting until he heard a click. When he did, he pulled the handle down and pushed on the door, which opened at the impact. Mumbo smirked and twisted the key in the opposite direction that he did before, pulling it out and sliding it back into his pocket.

The dark haired man stepped inside of the room, closing and locking the door behind him. He turned around once again and cast his trained gaze about the room, internally recording anything that particularly stuck out to him. He noticed that the room was very expansive for only a bedroom, with a mini kitchen, an extravagant walk-in closet, and an entrance to a large bathroom. There was a computer to the corner of the main room, and in the center of it was a king sized bed with a beautiful headboard, decorated with diamond embellishments all around. Mumbo walked up to the bed and looked down, seeing a figure wrapped up comfortably in the soft-looking blanket. Mumbo knew he was good now. All he had to do was retrieve the poison, let the substance trickle into Grian's mouth, and wait for the work to be complete in the morning.

Mumbo turned away so that he wasn't facing the bed (he had some decency) and unbuckled his belt. He then took his right hand and slowly reached down into his briefs; the location where he stored the potion wasn't the most hygienic, but it was definitely the least expected. Once he had retrieved the vial, he shoved it into his jacket pocket and began to fix his pants. When that was done, he turned back to see the sleeping figure. Mumbo couldn't quite see his face, so after cleaning his hands with the handy vial of hand sanitizer he carried around at all times. He rubbed his hands together and wiped them off on his jacket to dry them some. Finally, he grabbed a fistful of blanket and gently pulled it off the boy.

Mumbo's jaw dropped when he saw the figure that was sleeping so peacefully. He hadn't expected his victim to be this gorgeous.

A boy with bouncy golden curls was resting on the pillow, with little freckles dotted all around his face and long, delicate eyelashes. His plump pink lips were a contrast to his almost paper-white skin, and they were positioned in a small smile. His arms were around the pillow that he was lying on, holding it in a diagonal position as he laid his head on the side and hugged it like a lover. It was also then that Mumbo noticed the boy was shirtless, revealing a skinny figure, but not too much so. The boy certainly had little to no muscle and no abs, but that didn't matter. He was still absolutely ravishing, so much so that Mumbo believed he had never witnessed such beauty in his whole life. 

Mumbo stared for a moment longer before briefly shaking his head and twisting the top of the vial off. He felt bad that he had to do this to such a precious looking specimen, but he was going to be rewarded a large amount of cash. One life wouldn't make _that_ much of a difference, right? 

The raven-haired man used his thumb and pointer finger to gently grip both sides of the blonde's chin, pulling it down so that his mouth was slightly agape. The man held the boy's jaw as such while he tilted the poison vial, watching as the liquid slowly started seeping towards the end of the transparent vial. The fluid had almost escaped the confines of the small bottle before Mumbo changed the position of the ewer to be vertical rather than at a positive slope, which caused the liquid to abruptly slide to the bottom of the container once again. Mumbo hissed and let go of Grian's chin, using that hand to grip tightly at his hair, messing it up slightly. He didn't know why he was having these reservations about a murder, especially when the target was so easy to just get rid of! He wouldn't even have to see the process happen right away, but knowing what the liquid would do to the boy pained him to think about. Mumbo sighed and put the top of the vial back on, standing up and taking a tentative glance back at the boy. He hugged his pillow even tighter, acting as if he hadn't almost just been given a deadly substance that would eventually kill him. Of course, he didn't know, but still.

Mumbo stood up and began to walk towards the exit of the room, but tripped over the thick blanket that he had carelessly strewn to the side. A part of it must have fallen on the floor, as he hit the ground with a loud crack. He heard the sound of glass shattering as well as a surprised yelp from somewhere behind him, but he barely had enough time to process the whole ordeal. The last thing that he saw was the beginnings of a red substance forming from his right hand, beginning to trickle onto the floor as his vision faded out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who might be interested, here is some background information on what the poison Mumbo tried to use is and what it does from this website: https://www.thoughtco.com/deadliest-poisons-known-to-man-4058116
> 
> "Tetradotoxin or TTX is a powerful neurotoxin that shuts down nerve conduction between the brain and the body by blocking sodium channels. A minute dose can cause loss of sensation and paralysis, but just a tiny bit more paralyzes muscles you need working in order to live. It takes around 6 hours to reach full effect, but once the diaphragm stops, the lungs can no longer inhale or exhale and you're a goner. Or, you could die sooner from an irregular heartbeat.
> 
> How do you get exposed? The puffer fish is used to prepare the Japanese delicacy fugu. If the organs containing the toxin are damaged or incompletely removed, the dish is deadly. The puffer isn't the only animal that carries this toxin. It's also found in some octopuses, flatworms, sea stars, angelfish, toads, and newts. TTX is lethal whether it's inhaled, ingested, or absorbed directly into the bloodstream through a cut."


End file.
